ᴇ ʟ s ᴇ w ʜ ᴇ ʀ ᴇ
by PikaBolt101
Summary: They were forgotten, but when Dawnpaw rediscovers the group of immortal cats and steps into their world, the real world shifts and she is trapped there. She must survive, and finds she isn't as alone as she thinks. With danger and lies around every corner, it seems that romance and friendship bloom at the most unexpected places. But when the journey ends, will she stay or leave?
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**Leader:** Oakstar – Pale brown tom with hints of gray

**Deputy:** Buzzardstrike – Brown and black tabby tom with lime green eyes

**Medicine cat: **Featherpelt – Gray she-cat with black tabby stripes and a fluffy tail

**Warriors:**

Berryfall – Cream she-cat with dark brown ears, face and tail

Hawkfang – Red-brown tabby tom  
Apprentice: Whitepaw

Ravenflight – Black she-cat

Snowflower – White she-cat with ice blue eyes  
Apprentice: Firepaw

Duskclaw – Brown tom with a black back, tail and black stripes

Dovecloud – Long-haired gray she-cat with small beige patches

Grayshadow – Gray tom with light blue eyes

Dapplestream – Light gray she-cat with darker patches

Brindlefur – Fluffy, brindled she-cat

Cinderfrost – Dark gray she-cat with white paws

Ashstripe – Gray tabby tom with blue-green eyes  
Apprentice: Dewpaw

Brightsky – White she-cat with gray lynx points  
Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Iceshade – Thin white tom with silver stripes

Willowleaf – Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Mistypool – Silver and white tabby she-cat

Reedwhisker – Light, sandy brown tom

Hollowbreeze – Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Raintail – Blue-gray tom with darker flecks

**Apprentices:**

Whitepaw – White tom with small black blotches and a black tail

Dewpaw – Blue-gray she-cat with light blue eyes

Dawnpaw – White she-cat with ginger tabby patches and green eyes

Firepaw – Orange tabby she-cat

** Queens:**

Morningleaf – White she-cat with orange and black patches

Brookwhisper – Light brown she-cat with white chest and blue eyes

**Elders:**

Sunclaw – Golden tom

Jaystorm – Gray tom with bright green eyes

Sandsong – Pale ginger tabby she-cat


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

A thick, dark smoke covered the sky like a black blanket, hanging so low that it was frightening. It blocked out the sky and sent darkness over the land. A dim and eerie dark red light bloomed inside the smoke like a bloody rose that wasn't really there. The world smelled like blood and battles. And even as they closed their eyes, they could still see the menacing cold silver glint of fangs and claws imprinted inside their eyelids, as if the memory would revive itself and charge at them to destroy them once and for all.

This was the world of the clans.

A black hawk circled overhead, just barely visible amidst the suffocating darkness. Its eyes glowed crimson as its inky outline seemed to leave a shadow even as it flew away, emitting an ear-piercing, shrill call of grief, dread and anger over the lands.

As they walked along the edge of a dried stream, the hard ground beneath their paws cracking with every step, they found the scent of fresh blood to grow stronger and stronger. The faint metallic smell that mixed in with the feeling of failure and despair, it loomed over them just like the blackened, gnarly trees that had lost all hope.

Them? They were the forgotten ones.

A dull, lithe red-brown shape moved through the ashes, bare trees and stepped carefully around the last embers and flames that refused to burn out. He was followed by a few more. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he saw the bloodstained jagged rocks and burning tree bark, a growl rumbling in his throat as he viewed the limp, lifeless bodies that rested on the hard earth.

He lowered his head and narrowed his tired amber eyes, his breaths now exhausted pants in the closing black smoke. "Is this what the clans, what _we_, have come to?"

A grey and white she-cat, her dirty pelt matted with dirt and clawed with scars, slid up to stand beside her leader.

"War and conflict," she mewed coldly, solemnly, wishing her voice wouldn't crack at every word she pronounced. She hung her head. "Someday it will wipe out our existence. We can't live like this anymore."

The red-brown tomcat sighed and continued to gaze forward. The fire, the ashes… He hoped it would burn the dead bodies and lift them into the sky. The rain that started to pour down… He wished it would wash the land clear of anything that ever happened.

But he knew that couldn't happen. Not anymore.

"What do we do now?" a small grey tom asked their leader, forcing the red-brown tom's head to snap around and stare into his frightened green eyes. As he turned his head around, he saw a dozen more widened eyes gazing at him, looking to him for directions, support and leadership, and he realized that he never felt so helpless in all his life.

"Most of our clanmates have been killed. This land is destroyed," another cat from the small crowd stepped up and asked him. "We don't have a home anymore. What is left to live for?"

He shut his eyes, trying to imagine, _remember_, what it was all like before war ever broke and split the land. But he was clear that leading the others into the past again wasn't right. It wasn't the past anymore. The past happened, and now it couldn't be changed. The past was history.

But tomorrow was another chance.

He forced a small smile and lifted his head up higher, his eyes glinting with a newfound hope and confidence. It was only a tiny spark right then, but it would grow into a burning flame that will lead them to a new beginning, a new life.

Slowly, he shook his head.

"No, there is _always_ something left to live for," he declared, spinning around to face the ones looking up at him. He planted his paws firmly on the ground, turning his back on the past. "We still have each other. We are survivors, and we didn't get to where we are alone. We are still friends, we are family. And as long as we stay beside one another, we _do_ have a home, and we _do_ have a reason to live."

"But where will we stay?" a young tom padded out from the others and questions, fearing for all of them and their future. "We certainly cannot live here anymore."

The spark from the leader's eyes didn't vanish. It didn't extinguish. Instead, it only grew bigger.

"Then we will search. We will find a new place to live, and peace, joy and harmony will be the only things that surround us," he told them. "We are not part of the clans anymore. We'll find this place. This place, elsewhere." He smiled, and eventually they joined in.

_"Because we are one, and one forever."_

* * *

**Please review! It's not very exciting yet and the beginning won't have a ton of action, but I promise it will get more suspense-y and exciting later on! :D I'm also bored so I'll put random little facts about me in each chapter. XD Read or ignore. Both works. XP**

**_Fact #1: I wish I can forget my own age because I think age isn't important._**


	3. Chapter 1: All That's Left

**Chapter 1: All That's Left**

The sky was grey with a blanket of dark clouds, dimming the whole land and promising rain later on. A chilly breeze blew across the wide stretch of land. Leaf-bare was only a moon or so away, and it was approaching fast this time.

The once blazing, colorful forest of scarlet, chocolate and gold now fell to the ground, dull, lifeless and disappearing. The cold wind crippled the trees and seemed to suck the life out of the leaves. Animals worked harder to feed themselves and their young, but many plants were starting to wilt and most of the prey had scampered back into their homes, hiding from the upcoming snowstorms.

A large crowd of cats padded silently over the grey-brown hills, heading for the woods and mountains ahead. A cool breeze passed through their bones, ruffling their fur and making them shiver due to the cold.

Five sunrises had passed since the great forest fire.

The clan cats still remembered the flames, glowing crimson and golden threateningly, rising up to lick and swallow up the blackening trees. The sky was pitch-black with nighttime. The smoke suffocated many and hid the moon and stars. If it wasn't toxins from the black smoke, it would've been the fire that tore their pelts and burnt their flesh and ripped them away from their loved ones.

The forest fire that had forced them to leave their home. All that was left there was the ashes and inky bark tearing from the trees. They needed to find a new place to call theirs, or else there would only be a thin, almost invisible borderline between survival and extinction, life and death.

Two small ears of a kit pricked up as a pair of songbirds flashed across the sky in a flurry of yellow and brown. The young kitten glanced up at the grey sky, his blue eyes wide with wonder.

It was hard for them. The leader made sure his clan had enough food to fill their stomachs and enough time to rest for their journey tomorrow. The warriors would watch out for the weaker ones, such as the kits and elders who were kept in the center of the large group to better protect them. Their paws would be sore, the wind would get colder and colder with each passing day. It would pass through their bodies and the dark skies would hang above them, but their spirits wouldn't fall. Not yet.

The large pale grey-brown tom walking in the lead turned his head around, not surprised at the sight of more than two dozen cats panting, heaving, shivering, complaining and eyes drooping with tiredness.

He would allow them to rest now, but they'd be on their way quickly after. Staying out here in the open wasn't a very safe option, especially with each and every one of them sore, tired, thin and hungry.

"Alright, we'll be taking a break," the grey-brown tomcat announced, trying to make his voice come out as clear and loud as he could, although he himself knew the last bit of energy was already slipping away. The bits and pieces of prey they found, he had always allowed his clanmates to eat first and he would settle for leftovers. It didn't matter to him, as long as they could live on.

Relieved sighs and murmurs suddenly erupted from the clan as he voiced those words. They found the shade of some trees and watched as day slowly shifted into dusk, then twilight, and finally, night overtook the sky. The warriors hunted and were happy to find some prey hiding in burrows beneath the frosted earth, while the apprentices looked after the young and the elderly.

A brown and black tabby padded up to his leader, his bright green eyes glowing in the darkness as he turned to face the larger grey-brown tom.

"Breezestar, how long are we going to keep journeying?" the tabby questioned his leader, shifting his paws. He eyed the vast plains ahead, where in the horizon, some thin woods could be seen, and also the silver silhouette of a few mountains. "The elders and kits might not make it. They're already sickly thin, and so are some of the warriors."

Breezestar gave a small, solemn nod and eyed the deputy.

"I know, Buzzardstrike," he mewed. A chilly breeze blew and the last light of twilight disappeared down into the silhouetted mountain peaks. "But if we can just make it to those mountains…"

"I hope we can," Buzzardstrike admitted, his voice just a low whisper as his pelt seemed to be coal-black in the darkness.

"No." Breezestar smiled down at him. "We _will_."

They were OakClan, the last surviving clan. But their strength wouldn't last forever. They couldn't hold on forever, and sometimes the feeling of letting go would overwhelm them. Yet they wouldn't give up. They lived for a brighter future, they lived for each other. They struggled every single day in hopes of finding a better tomorrow, leaning on each other as they walked alongside one another.

Because that was all they had left.

* * *

**Just an intro to the surroundings and current conditions! :) Some more characters will be introduced in the next few chappies, and after that it starts to get exciting. At least, I hope. XD **

_**Fact #2: I always flip my pillow over to the cold side, and when that side gets warm, I flip it over again.**_


	4. Chapter 2: Dreamworld

**Chapter 2: Dreamworld**

Rain pelted down from the darkening heavens and struck the ground. Leaf-bare was nearer and nearer with each passing day, but the destination for the clan still seemed so far away.

A cold wind blew, making the rain strike down in a diagonal line. The falling droplets were icy like shards as they hit the cats' flesh.

"Let us rest for a while," Breezestar's voice rang across the bare trees as the clan padded silently through the dying woods.

The deputy halted and stood beside him, sweeping his ringed brown and black tail across the hard ground, stirring up a few dried, dull leaves and dust. He watched as the cats settled under the trees and amidst bushes, looking for a place to sleep for a while without getting as wet as they would fully under the falling rain.

"Warriors and apprentices," Buzzardstrike called, earning their attention. "I will lead a hunting patrol and we'll try to find as much prey as we can. Some of you can also patrol this area and see if there is any danger. If there is, we will immediately move to a new place."

Some of the warriors nodded, others murmured in understanding as they walked over to join the OakClan deputy in a hunting patrol. They glanced around at the trees, only a few leaves still dangling from the branches, and looked to the vast hills and plains that were behind them. This place was so strange and foreign, nothing like the dense, thick, protective forest that they used to inhabit. Only some more sunrises, maybe a quarter-moon, before they would arrive at their goal—the mountains.

A young ginger and white apprentice shook out her pelt, sending a small shower of droplets falling to the earth. She sighed and followed the warriors when she heard a familiar call, snapping her head up to see an older grey and white she-cat talking to her.

"Dawnpaw, we're going on a hunting patrol," the apprentice's mentor announced. "Prey is scarce and we need to try harder."

"But Brightsky, it's pouring and there's no prey here," Dawnpaw cast her tired leaf-green eyes down at the ground, shaking out her fur again when she felt the water collecting in her pelt weighing her down. Her ears drooped. "Sometimes I feel like giving up. What's the point of this?"

Brightsky gazed down at her apprentice and wrapped her tail around her paws, taking in a quiet breath, falling silent. She knew the past sunrises have been hard for her. The day when Dawnpaw was made apprentice was also the day the great forest fire burned down their previous home. Every time Brightsky looked at her, she could see the sparks and flames of fear igniting the young she-cat's eyes. She tried to suppress it, but the ashes and fire was burned into her memory, burned into all of their minds.

"Dawnpaw," her mentor finally breathed out, glancing at the other apprentices and warriors who were already leaving for the patrol, but she didn't care right then. "I know it's been tiring and difficult, but don't lose hope. I promise we'll find an even better home. It's all going to turn out alright, you'll see."

Dawnpaw sunk down and turned her back to her mentor, her eyes narrowed. She stayed silent.

Brightsky sighed and shook her head slightly, turning and walking away, leaving the ginger and white she-cat alone.

"We're working for all we have left, and that's each other," Brightsky mewed softly at last before padding away.

Dawnpaw flattened her ears and shut her eyes, refusing to take that as true. She refused to believe her home was gone now, everything they've worked so hard to protect had been extinguished by flames.

But she knew it was.

She looked around, seeing cats working, hunting, protecting. She willed her paws to move forward and help too, but for some reason, she couldn't. Was it pride? Longing? Grief? She wasn't sure, but that stubborn feeling gripped on and she just couldn't.

The young cat listened to the howling breeze in the distant, lulling her into a dreamworld at last. A world where everything was perfect, where war and disasters didn't happen, where it was newleaf throughout all seasons.

A world that she could only emptily hope for.

* * *

**A bit short and not very exciting yet but please still review! After a few chapters the actual plot and everything sort of begins.**

_**Fact #3: I wish I could buy all the balloons and just let them free.**_


	5. Chapter 3: Empty Wishes

**Chapter 3: Empty Wishes**

A sleek ginger and white shape pounced under the dancing sun. The she-cat's sharp claws were extended as she slammed her paws down on the little grey-brown creature. She was in a crouching position, her tail swishing back and forth impatiently as she lifted one paw up just a bit to peek under. Big mistake. The mouse took that as a chance to escape and darted away, scurrying to hide under the branches and leaves of the shrubs.

Dawnpaw growled and cursed under her breath, attempting to bolt after, but she soon realized the small animal was already out of sight and she couldn't track it down anymore. Exhausted from the all the hunting, the OakClan apprentice slumped down and lazily sniffed along the ground for any signs of prey. Nothing.

Her ears immediately pricked up as she heard quiet paw-steps nearing her. She snapped her head up nervously, only to have a small wave of relief wash over her as she came face-to-face with two familiar amber eyes.

She gave a soft sigh. "Firepaw, it's just you."

The flame-pelted tabby she-cat sat down beside Dawnpaw, obviously tired but her bright eyes didn't show any of those emotions. Firepaw's wide smile faded as she noticed the dull look on her clanmate's face.

"Dawnpaw, are you okay?" she asked gently.

Dawnpaw shook her head, as if to clear her mind of any thoughts she was having. She gave a weak nod in Firepaw's direction. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Firepaw curled her tail around her paws, gazing at Dawnpaw's drooping ears, lifeless eyes and tired, slouching figure. A chilling wind rattled the branches, despite the cloudless, sunny sky. "What's wrong?"

Dawnpaw sighed and gave in to Firepaw's intense stare. She whipped her head around, glancing from side to side, then gestured at everything surrounding them. "This, this is wrong. Everything here is wrong." When she spotted the orange tabby's confused expression, Dawnpaw stood up and started pacing around, flattening her ears. "We shouldn't have left our home. It was where OakClan lived for generations! We can't just leave and abandon everything we've worked so hard to protect!"

Firepaw narrowed her amber eyes and looked down, not trying to hide the hints of sadness lacing her voice as she spoke. She meowed softly, "I know, Dawnpaw, but—"

Dawnpaw whipped around, and Firepaw's eyes widened as she saw the tears brimming her clanmate's orbs. "No, you don't know! You're one of them! You're fine with leaving because all you care about is finding a supposed 'better' home!"

"No, Dawnpaw. You know I don't want to leave either," Firepaw whispered, her voice low and hushed but still firm. "But we don't have a choice. There's nothing left back there anymore."

"The bodies of our clanmates, the bodies of the other clans." Dawnpaw finally broke down. "They're still back there. We just abandoned them."

"Maybe their bodies," Firepaw murmured. "But not their spirits. Their spirits are in StarClan now, and they'll forever be looking down on us." She forced a crooked smile and glanced up at the sky, which was still bright with a dazzling leaf-bare sun, and pretended that it was nighttime with a canvas of silvery stars. "As long as you can see the stars, you'll know they're there."

"What if even StarClan has given up on us?" Dawnpaw's voice cracked as she spoke. "What if…"

Firepaw laid her tail-tip on Dawnpaw's shoulder. "What if they're still up there, and they can see you now? Do you think seeing you like this is what they want?"

"I just wish the world was perfect again, Firepaw!" the ginger and white apprentice exclaimed. "I wish it was still warm and safe, with the trees around me and protecting me! I wish I could see the clanmates that we lost! I wish everything is the way I want it to be!"

"Those are empty wishes, Dawnpaw," Firepaw said lowly, firmly. "The world doesn't listen to you."

Dawnpaw growled, tapping her tail against the ground. She didn't want to hear the other apprentice's opinions right now. She just wanted to be alone and disappear like an invisible breeze.

Firepaw's ears perked up when she heard her mentor, Snowflower, and another apprentice calling for her. The orange tabby stood up and beckoned to Dawnpaw. "Coming?"

"I-I'd like to be alone," Dawnpaw replied, turning her back on them and refusing to meet their eyes.

Firepaw stood her ground. "Are you sure?" When there was no answer, she nodded in understanding and sighed. "Alright, just remember to join with us again near dusk. We'll be moving out again then." With that, Dawnpaw heard paw-steps padding away and soon she was left in a eerie silence. The sky suddenly seemed to get a lot darker as every cat left her.

Dawnpaw decided to go for a short stroll, to get used to this new area but more to get her mind off of those gripping thoughts that refused to leave her, following her like a shadow. She walked through the bare trees, her paws automatically placing themselves in front of one another as she finally arrived at a clump of large boulders. A faint smell wafted through the air and into the young she-cat's nostrils.

_Shrew._

Dawnpaw's green eyes sparked. She licked her lips as she instinctively dropped into a hunter's crouch, flexing her claws while she spotted the small, light brown rodent which was peeking its head out of the spaces between the boulders. She'd use this to pay for the mouse she lost earlier.

The apprentice's muscles bunched and she used the last bit of her energy to push herself forward with her long hind legs, aiming for the little animal. But her eyes widened until the white rim was visible when her paw made contact with the prey. Not because she felt the shrew slip away from her grasp again, not because she heard a familiar voice calling for her in the distance, but because suddenly, the ground underneath her gave way and she felt herself falling into a hole which lead to a straight, never-ending tunnel.

She was plummeting into the darkness, and the last thing she saw were the boulders falling to block the one entrance and exit she had to escape this tunnel.

All light was gone.

* * *

**Yay, two (?) chapters in a day! Honestly, I'm pretty sure cats don't cry out of grief either… But oh, well! XD Pretend they do for the sake of the story, lol.**

_**Fact #4: I really want to have a monkey, but at the same time, I don't.**_


	6. Chapter 4: End of the Tunnel

**Chapter 4: End of the Tunnel**

Dawnpaw shook the dust off of her body, clenching her teeth in frustration and pain as she finally landed with a loud _thump_ onto the hard earth. The she-cat could've sworn she heard a few bones crack as she impacted with the ground. Either way, her body ached all over, especially her side, where she had hit the bottom.

The ginger and white apprentice smoothed down her fur and stood up, flexing her claws and shaking her paws a bit to see if they still worked. Much to her relief, she didn't have any serious injuries, only a few light bruises. Maybe the _crack_was the sound of a snapping twig on her way falling down.

As the young OakClan cat finally came to her senses and her mind had caught up with the current situation, she desperately whipped her head around from side to side, her green eyes glowing in the darkness. She glanced up and noticed a few thin, extremely faint rays of light streaming down from cracks in the ceiling. She squinted, looking closer.

No… Those were the boulders that had blocked her exit. And now she was trapped.

Dawnpaw breathed heavily in a panic and leaped up on her hind legs, scratching the suffocating stone and dirt walls with her paws, trying to find a crack or small crevasse where she could put her paws and climb up. But even if she could get to the top, the large, heavy boulders blocking the only way out would not be able to be moved.

"Firepaw! Brightsky! Breezestar!" the young cat yowled as loudly as she could, continuing to paw at the tunnel walls. The worry was very evident in her voice, but as much as she hoped one of her clanmates would hear her screams, a tiny part of her had already lost all faith in that plan. Her breathing slowed and she rested her forehead on the dirt walls. "Anyone, please help me…"

She blinked back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and mentally scolded herself. _Why are you crying, Dawnpaw? You should be thinking of a way to escape and go back to your clanmates! Now isn't the time to weep!_

"You're right," the apprentice murmured mindlessly to the small voice piping up in the back of her mind. She stood up, her legs wobbling a bit at first, but she eventually found more strength and confidence when she spotted a faint light shining from another direction of the tunnel. It came from her right, and she turned, her green eyes narrowed in that direction, to find that the tightly enclosed tunnel advanced in another direction.

_Maybe that way will lead me out_, Dawnpaw wondered, trying to see anything other than that dim light, but found she couldn't. However, as she impulsively proceeded in that direction and left the entrance, another thought struck her like a lightning bolt.

_But what if I get lost? What if that isn't the way out at all? What if it would've been better if I just waited here and called for help?_

The different ideas battled inside Dawnpaw's head. She shut her eyes, for the second time in her life feeling this lost, clueless and helpless.

_But if I don't try, I may never get out._

She knew the almost invisible voice in the back of her head was right. She didn't want to. She was never one to take chances, to take risks. But maybe, maybe it'd all be worth it in the end. She hoped and prayed with all her heart that it would.

"I'll never ask for anything again. Just help me now, StarClan."

The ginger and white she-cat took a deep breath and turned her back on the entrance, padding silently as she aimed her focus on the faint light that guided her. There was a strength inside her that wanted to drag her paws back as she made each progressing step, but a bigger part of her fought and won over. She made an almost inaudible gulp and left the entrance for good.

She could feel the tunnel widening out. Her pelt had been tightly pressed against the tunnel walls as she padded before, despite she was only an apprentice and considering her lithe build. Now she could actually breathe more freely. She could sense a fresher gush of sweet, sweet oxygen fill the musty and dusty air of the tunnel. The light shone brighter and brighter as well.

_Almost there… Almost there…_

Her silent self-encouragement proved at least a bit successful. Despite the great fear and worry that still gripped her chest like a suffocating snake along with the narrow surroundings, she felt the air thin out and the golden light finally grow blindingly bright as she reached the end.

The tunnel finally stopped. It wasn't a tunnel anymore. The thin spaces and tight, compacted walls widened to what seemed like the entrance of a large cave. Dawnpaw stopped walking, not because she didn't want to, but because she literally _couldn't_.

Her eyes widened until the white rim was visible. She sworn she could've felt her bottom jaw hit the ground underneath. Her mind swam with a million questions and wonders, but one thought shot out as clearest of all: this was _not_ what she had expected. Not at all.

Her breath caught in her throat.

_So this is the end of the tunnel._

* * *

**Cliffie much? xD Anyway, do you think Dawnpaw came across something good or bad at the end of the tunnel? Please review. Compliments, concrit, whatever you'd like! :) Reviews keep me going! (I can't make you not flame, but if you do, you're wasting your time. Besides, is my story really THAT bad? :( …Wait, what?)**

**I know a lot more of you read this than the ones who review, but please just take a few seconds to leave a review! They mean a lot more than you think. :D**

_**Fact #5: I often hit inspiration in the shower.**_


	7. Chapter 5: Beautiful Mistake

h1 class="title" style="font:  
-apple-system-short-headline; -webkit-hyphens: manual; max-width:  
100%;" /h1 


	8. Chapter 6: Falling

**Chapter 6: Falling**

All of a sudden, the sky seemed darker. The clouds seemed to be greying, dying away, withering into a simple gust of air and dissolving like it was never there in the first place. The trees loomed over her and were too close for comfort. The birdsong stopped. The sunshine faded. It wasn't beautiful anymore.

It was scary now.

The once bright world around her shifted into a dark mass. Suddenly she felt alone, cold, and frightened.

"Get me out of here! I want to leave!" she yowled, ramming her body into the spot where the tunnel entrance should have been. But all that greeted her was the hard impact of boulders.

_I want to go back… I'm sorry for anything I've done… Just, please, I want to leave…_

Suddenly, the ground beneath her shook and rumbled. Dawnpaw's emerald eyes widened in abrupt fear. She trembled and wanted to run, but there was nowhere _to_ run. The young she-cat realized she was trapped on that ledge. If she fell, it was a drop of many, many fox-lengths. Easily much more than ten. Her bones would surely be crippled if she dropped down.

_Earthquake?_

No, not an earthquake. The valley didn't quake at all, it was still as sturdy as it always was. It was only the edge of that cliff her paws were currently planted on. Then she realized, the rocks underneath her were cracking, about to crumble off.

Her ears pricked up and she tried to clamber up the vertical side of the cliff behind her, her heart pounding in her chest, but in a split second, she felt it.

Her mind was fuzzy. Her vision was blurry. Her senses had all clouded up and all she could feel was the drumming in her chest… and_ that_.

First it felt frightening. Then nice. Then relaxing. Then realization dawned and it was purely horrifying. She felt her body as light as a feather, but not in a good way. It was a light feather that was dropping down like ten thousand boulders. Dawnpaw couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't move. She was frozen but also moving at the fastest pace any cat had ever moved at. The wind battered her pelt and rushed upward around her.

She was falling.

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. _

The fall seemed way too short, and it also seemed to last three lifetimes. She didn't know what to expect when she hit the bottom, but the apprentice didn't have time to think about her bones snapping and cracking, her limbs bent at unusual angles, blood swiftly pooling out from wounds and her head receiving critical damage. Very possibly death too.

It never came, though.

When the thoughts raced through and she had enough time to actually process them, she had landed. It wasn't hard. It wasn't painful. It wasn't the last breath she would ever take. In fact, it was soft. It was comfortable. She felt some stings on her flesh and impacts her body suffered, but it was nothing compared to what could've happened. Dawnpaw slowly groaned, straightened up and flexed her paws.

She was still alive.

"I'm… I'm not dead?" she whispered, only to herself. She sat up, sweeping her tail back and forth over the leaves beneath her and stretching out her limbs, feeling the last of the bits of pain vanishing. Without thinking, the words bubbling up inside her were all blurted out, but none of those sentence were finished. "How… Why… What…?"

"It's called being alive, genius."

Dawnpaw's eyes widened. She whipped her head around at the unfamiliar voice, possibly hearing a little crack in her neck as she did so. But as she faced the stranger, a million thoughts ran through her mind.

A dark-furred tomcat stood over her. He couldn't have been much older than herself, but his voice and entire presence seemed just a bit more mature than the she-cat's. Dawnpaw noticed that his dark, smoky grey pelt was lined with inky black tabby stripes. His strong claws that gripped the earth beneath him. His thick tail that swept up some dust from the ground. The muscles that faintly rippled beneath his dark pelt as he moved.

But she noticed his eyes first. The young tom's eyes were the softest shade of orange at the top, fading to a clear amber. As the distance was closer between them, Dawnpaw also saw the golden flecks in his orbs.

Yet before any of that, she noticed she was falling off a bush.

She plummeted to the ground, her soft ginger and white pelt now matted with dirt. She growled in frustration and lashed at the large bush angrily with her tail. A few leaves drifted down and the rest of the bush shook. She heard the tom beside her give a half-scoff, half-chuckle.

"Don't take your anger out on the bush that saved you, kitty."

Dawnpaw felt a growl begin to rumble in the depths of her throat, but she quickly realized she could've easily died without those clumps of bushes and tall grass that softened her fall. She shook out her fur and turned to the tom, green eyes narrowing as she stared at him.

"Who are you?" she asked, head tilting a bit to one side as she looked him up and down. She had never seen him before in her life.

The tom just gave another small scoff of amusement and sat down, a barely-seeable-but-definitely-there smirk playing on his face.

"I should ask who _you_ are first. I've never seen you here before, and believe me," his voice dropped down to a low whisper as he mewed into Dawnpaw's ear, "I know everybody." He backed away and slowly circled around Dawnpaw, his amber-orange eyes seeming to burn into the younger she-cat's very being.

"W-why do you need to know?" Dawnpaw flattened her ears and tried to growl, wanting to make herself look more intimidating to the strange tom, but was miserably failing.

"Because I need to know what's happening on both the inside and outside of this world," the tom replied casually, swishing his ringed tail. Dawnpaw didn't have the time to wonder what he meant by that, and besides, another thought struck her.

_Maybe he knows the way back. Maybe he could get me home – I mean, back to my clanmates._

She slowly nodded. "My name is Dawnpaw. I'm an apprentice of OakClan." She flicked an ear. "Have you heard of them?"

Dawnpaw could've sworn she saw, for a heartbeat, a jolt of horror and anger in the tom's eyes, but it quickly vanished and all that was left was his previous cool demeanor.

"Ah, the clans," he purred mischievously. He gave a quick, bitter laugh. "If you want to get back to them, Dawnpaw, I'm afraid you're not in luck." He scanned the sky swiftly. "It seems you'll be stuck here for a while."

Dawnpaw's fur bristled and her eyes flew wide. "_What_? What do you mean I'll be stuck here? No! You don't understand, I have to get back! If I don't, they could go on without me and I'll never find them again…"

The tom's smile disappeared and his eyes were only solemn and cold now. "I'm sorry, but what I speak is only the truth."

Dawnpaw felt lonely again. She felt frightened. But she knew she could get back. Every ending was happy… wasn't it?

"Then… Then tell me how to get back!" Dawnpaw fired back as she saw the tom starting to walk away. She trotted close behind, shivering from a chilly breeze that suddenly passed through her body as it started to grow even darker around her.

"I don't know the way back, Dawnpaw," the tom said sternly. His eyes softened for a moment. "I truly don't."

Dawnpaw felt her voice crack as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. _I need to get back… I need to… _

"Then just tell me who you are," Dawnpaw whispered, her voice almost inaudible, her voice like the last, sour note that a bird decided not to sing anymore. But the tom turned, his bright eyes glowing in the night.

"My name is Night Fall."

* * *

_**Fact #7: I used to get so scared as a little kid to see my teacher(s) anywhere but school. **_


	9. Chapter 7: Hidden

**Chapter 7: Hidden**

_Night Fall… The name is similar to a clan name…_

Dawnpaw's leafy eyes widened as the dark-pelted tabby started padding away. She shook off some last twigs and leaves still clutching to her ginger and white pelt and sprinted after the tomcat.

"Wait, Night Fall!" Dawnpaw called desperately, her limbs feeling sore and her body tired. She couldn't run very fast right now. But to her surprise, the young tom did halt and turn his head to look back at her.

"Y-you aren't just going to leave me, right?" Dawnpaw asked hesitantly, trying not to make her voice quiver, but failing. She feared what would happen to her if she was left alone here. She knew there were other cats, but were they kind? Violent? Would they welcome her, or kill her? She had no idea, and for the reason that she may never get back to her clanmates, she was also frightened.

But then again, how could she know that Night Fall was trustable either?

Said cat cast his orange-amber eyes on her when she spoke. Dawnpaw saw that the day was already fading away to a darkening dusk. The blazing golden backdrop of the sky was almost the exact color of the tom's bright eyes, she had noticed.

"If you leave, I-I'll get lost! I could get killed!" Dawnpaw started blurting out, hoping none of them would turn out to be true. Her voice dropped down to a low, trembling whisper. "You wouldn't want me to die, would you?"

Maybe there was a flicker of sympathy in the tom's eyes, but for the most part, they remained fairly emotionless.

"Your scent," he spoke finally in an abrupt manner. Dawnpaw could've sworn she heard the faint beginnings of a growl rumbling in the depths of his throat. The younger she-cat's eyes narrowed and she tilted her head, confused.

"M-my scent?" Dawnpaw repeated. "What do you—"

"You are an outsider… aren't you?" Night Fall stepped closer, his eyes narrowing, focusing intently on the she-cat, his voice low and secretive, making Dawnpaw step back a pace.

Dawnpaw's green eyes widened and her ears started flattening. "Outsider? I really don't know what you're talking about."

Night Fall sighed and shook his head slightly. "N-nevermind. You'll know eventually." He started walking away from her, ringed tail hanging low as he padded into the melting, dusky beyond. "You'll know who we are and where this is one day."

Dawnpaw's breaths came in quick, hitched intakes. She whipped her head around desperately. The land was darkening, and suddenly, the trees looked a lot more menacing than the lush, swaying plants before. The silhouetted mountain peaks seemed to loom over her and in a flash, the new territory was a colder, unfamiliar place to her once again.

"Wait, Night Fall! Please don't—" But before the apprentice could finish, she realized she was already too late. His dark figure had vanished already. Dawnpaw sighed, gritting her teeth and trying not to cry. "Leave…"

As the ginger and white she-cat glanced at the land around her, she realized night was approaching fast. She needed to find somewhere to stay for the night in this foreign, strange, beautiful and at the same time frightening, territory. She needed to rest and eat, or else she was going to die for sure. Dawnpaw could already feel a cold breeze ruffling her fur, making her shiver, and her stomach grumbled in hunger.

_Don't worry_, she tried to comfort herself, pacing around carefully, hesitant on where she put her paws so she wouldn't accidentally step in water or a marshland or thorns. _There must be prey here, or else these cats wouldn't be able to live. I'll be sure to find some tomorrow._

She sighed helplessly, continuing to walk forward. _If I even make it to tomorrow._

A sudden screech sounded somewhere very near her, and Dawnpaw's eyes flew wide. She almost jumped, but her unsheathed claws that gripped the earth nervously was the only thing that kept her from leaping up in surprise. Turning her head and glancing up, she faintly saw the silhouette of an owl with large, round yellow eyes staring at her while perching on a sturdy branch. The threatening stare from the predator bird's eyes alone made her walk turn into a quicker trot.

As Dawnpaw sprinted through the tall grass, maneuvering past bushes and boulders, she finally arrived at some woodland, a place she was more comfortable with. The she-cat let out a breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding in. The trees around her, protecting her, made her feel a bit more at home, but at the same time, she didn't know what dangers lurked in the darkness.

The young cat eventually found a large burrow, which the first half of her body had sunk in at first when she didn't see the hole underneath her. She squinted in the blackness, making out something like a badger or fox burrow. Tentatively, the apprentice crouched down and sniffed the den.

No scent of other animals. It was safe to stay the night here.

Glancing over her shoulder constantly, Dawnpaw gradually slipped into the den and eventually fell asleep, though it took her a long time. Every hoot of an owl, rustle of some leaves, snap of a twig made her eyes fly open again. But without rest, she knew she wouldn't have the energy for tomorrow. She was lost and, as she thought, pretty much alone, but she didn't want to take her last breath. No, not yet. Not this early. She wanted to live. Though she depended on the warriors and other cats back in OakClan, she would try to survive. No, she _needed_ to survive.

Dawnpaw curled up, burying her face into her fur and wrapping her white tail protectively around herself. She slunk as far as she could into the burrow and prayed she wouldn't be seen or harmed while she was asleep. She thought she was safe in there. She thought she was the one hidden.

But what she didn't know was that there were two piercing eyes hiding in the dark trees right then, watching her every movement.

* * *

_**Fact #8: I've walked into the wrong washroom so many times, but for some reason, it's strangely fun.**_


	10. Chapter 8: Risks are Worth Taking

**Chapter 8: Risks are Worth Taking**

A dark, lithe figure sprinted swiftly through the tall trees under the night sky. Her striped pelt blended in with the branches and tall grass that she maneuvered easily around. Her bright, illuminative eyes pierced through the darkness and contrasted with the frozen stars that glittered overhead in a vast, quiet atmosphere.

The sleek she-cat eventually burst out of the woods and reached a large meadow, her fast run slowing down to an even trot. The meadow was almost entirely silent, except for the distant whispering of leaves and faint chirping of crickets.

The dark tabby reached a tall, large boulder that jutted out of the ground in a small area of the meadow with fewer grass. She looked up and aimed her green orbs at a much older tomcat that was perched tall on the smooth boulder top.

"Jagged Peak," the she-cat greeted politely and dipped her head. One of the tom's ears twitched as he looked down. His red-brown fur swayed gently in the wind. In the moonshine, there were a few visible silver dapples on his greying muzzle.

"What is it, Dusk's Light?" the tom, Jagged Peak, leaped down from his spot on the boulders and asked, his amber eyes glowing as he faced the smaller she-cat.

"It appears there's an… o-outsider," Dusk's Light answered hesitantly, "in our world." At that sentence, Jagged Peak's eyes widened obviously in shock.

"What?" He stepped forward, his breathing quicker. "No, no… That's not possible. It's extremely unlikely for a cat in the other world to come here. You must have mistaken, Dusk's Light."

Dusk's Light held her firm gaze confidently. "No, I am not. I am sure of it. I would recognize every cat here, and that one is of different appearance and scent."

"Who is it?" Jagged Peak whispered lowly, aiming his narrowed yellow eyes around the meadow as the breeze caressed his cheek.

"I don't know yet," Dusk's Light admitted. "All I know is that it is a she-cat, a pretty young one at that. She was staying the night in an abandoned fox burrow. I'm not sure when she came. Further information is unknown."

Jagged Peak sighed and flexed his claws. "You know how dangerous it is to have a cat from the outside get in here." He considered something for a few moments and then nodded, as if to confirm his own idea. "Dusk's Light, keep an eye on this outsider. I will not harm any cat if it is unnessecary, but the safety of our clanmates is always the top priority."

The dark grey tabby she-cat knew it was basically another way of saying "to spy". But Jagged Peak was her leader nonetheless, and she knew his decisions were always smartest for the sake of their clan.

Dusk's Light nodded and started backing away. "I will."

In the shadows of the forest that edged this quiet meadow, a pair of amber-orange eyes watched intently, his face half-hidden in the trees.

_Does she mean… Dawnpaw?_

He didn't even notice when Dusk's Light bounded back into the trees just a few tail-lengths near him.

* * *

Sunshine seeped through the entrance of the den and shone on Dawnpaw's soft ginger and white fur. The young she-cat's shut eyes twitched and her face scrunched up in discomfort at the blinding light. Finally surrendering to the sun, she opened one eye and slowly heaved herself up.

The abandoned burrow actually proved to be safe. Or as she thought. When she woke up, she desperately felt her pelt and flexed her claws to make sure she was still alive. Checking for any scratches or scars, there were none. Surprised but very glad, she crawled out of the burrow and pricked up her ears for any danger. She didn't sense any other animals near.

_Right, I'm supposed to go hunting today_, the apprentice remembered suddenly. She heard her stomach make an audible growl. She groaned hungrily. _I really need some food._

Timidly, she looked around. Once she saw that only the trees and birds surrounded her, she felt much more relaxed. Trying to remember the hunting techniques her mentor had taught her back at OakClan…

OakClan.

Dawnpaw suddenly felt her eyes prick with hot tears. She gritted her teeth, trying to erase the memories for now.

_I miss everyone back at OakClan_, Dawnpaw thought silently. _It's barely been one sunrise but I've never felt so alone and scared. StarClan, just please guide me home._

Her thoughts were distracted by the rustling of leaves. Dawnpaw aimed her eyes in that direction, her head snapping up. She blinked harshly to rid of the tears and tried to focus on hunting. On staying alive, at least.

The dark brown squirrel poked its head out of the leaves and its ears perked up. It stood in a straight position, bushy tail pressed against it's back, bright black eyes wide, and breathing quick. Dawnpaw sunk back into the bushes, trying to disguise herself. She prayed the squirrel would not sense that she was only a few tail-lengths away.

The squirrel took a few steps, bounding forward, not seeming to know the stalking cat was there. Dawnpaw smiled. _Perfect_.

She inched closer, her paws sliding on the earth. Then, suddenly, her muscles bunched and she pushed off the ground with her hind legs. She pounced. The squirrel fled. Dawnpaw's unsheathed claws missed the prey by just a whisker-length. She growled, not going to give up now.

As the apprentice gave chase, she steadily moved closer and closer. The squirrel started to get tired. Dawnpaw did too, but she gave a last burst of energy and bounded forward.

She was so close. She could feel the tip of her claws on the squirrel's tail, but then it all came crashing down.

She felt something underneath her trip her. Immediately, she came tumbling down, and what happened to the squirrel, she didn't know. Her face hit the dirt hardly, and even as she scrambled to get up, she felt her hind leg stuck.

Dawnpaw looked back. One of her hind paws were lodged in a small gap between a thick root that bulged out of the ground and the earth underneath. It was also what she had tripped over. The apprentice growled at herself and pulled her paw out, severely irritated at the root, the squirrel, and herself.

_How could that have happened? That was such a good chance!_ Dawnpaw scolded herself. Groaning, she took a paw and started wiping her face of mud and dirt, shaking her head and body. But as she finally heaved herself up, she found herself staring into a pair of eyes, green like her own, but much a darker shade.

An older tabby she-cat loomed over her.

Dawnpaw let out a small yelp of surprise and got to her paws quickly. She tried to fluff up her fur, making herself look bigger. She narrowed her leafy green eyes and backed away a few paces, claws still unsheathed.

"I-I know how to fight!" Dawnpaw growled, stammering a bit. The other cat's intense gaze wasn't helping. "If you don't want to get harmed, I-I suggest just backing away now!"

The other she-cat cocked her head a bit in confusion at first, but after a few moments of awkward silence, she let out a quick half-scoff, half-laugh, then swiftly composed herself.

"I'm not going to harm you," the dark tabby she-cat mewed calmly. Dawnpaw still stayed tense.

"Why should I trust you?" Dawnpaw growled.

"Why should_ I_ trust _you_?" the she-cat repeated, flicking her tail. Dawnpaw just fell silent.

"My name is Dusk's Light," the tabby introduced. She narrowed her eyes and scanned Dawnpaw up and down. "Where are you from? I know it's definitely not here."

Dawnpaw suddenly felt defensive. "W-why should I tell you? For all I know, you could be a danger!"

"Well, if that's the way you think," Dusk's Light mused slowly, starting to turn away, "then the same goes for you."

Dawnpaw gulped, staring down at her paws.

"I really don't mean you any harm, though, young she-cat," the tabby said, halting and looking over her shoulder at the younger she-cat. "Now, can you tell me your name?" _Jagged Peak's orders._

"It's… Dawnpaw," the ginger and white cat finally replied. _After all, just telling my name isn't putting me in any danger, right?_

"Alright, Dawnpaw," Dusk's Light spoke in an authority manner, "please follow me." She beckoned with her tail as she padded away through the trees, looking back once in a while. _It won't hurt for Jagged Peak himself to know more, right? After all, it is better than to keep spying on this stranger._

Dawnpaw's paws were fixated on the ground. She didn't know whether to follow or run. That cat—Dusk's Light, as she said—was a complete stranger. Who knew if she was leading Dawnpaw into a trap, maybe? The young she-cat could get killed.

But then again, she wouldn't survive long with just herself. She needed someone on her team. She knew this was a risk, but her mentor had told her that some risks were worth taking.

Maybe this was one of those.

"Oh, and Dawnpaw," Dusk's Light's faint voice came through the trees ahead. Dawnpaw's head snapped up and her ears perked up. "Eat up."

A small, brown shape was tossed through the air and landed with amazing precision right in front of Dawnpaw's paws. She recognized it with wide eyes as the squirrel she was trying to chase earlier.

_That cat caught it for me?_

Taking a last look at the path she had came from, Dawnpaw picked up the squirrel in her jaws, took a deep breath, and bounded after the strange she-cat.

* * *

**Sorry that wasn't a very long chapter, but I want to keep the chapters about the same length, unless I absolutely NEED to make them long. It's a bit longer than the last one, though! :) Also, thanks to ScipioPB for your OC! Dusk's Light will definitely be appearing more.**

**_Fact #9: Every time I see someone trying to step on a worm or ant or bug, I start yelling at them._**


	11. Chapter 9: The Outsider

**Chapter 9: The Outsider**

Dawnpaw struggled to keep up with the older she-cat's fast walking pace. Her dark tabby pelt flashed by amidst the trees a few tail-lengths in front of her, but the space gradually stretched farther. The ginger and white apprentice quickened her pace until it was a small trot, the squirrel still grasped in her jaws tightly.

Soon, the tall trees surrounding her shifted into a much thinner woodland, and finally, a vast meadow-like area with only a few bushes and small trees littered here and there. A forest bordered the meadow. A dim sun, half-hidden by some clouds, cast just enough light to illuminate the place nicely and highlight the golden and green color of the grass, and the yellow, blue and violet colors of the wild flowers.

Dawnpaw gazed around in amazement, her green eyes wide. Her squirrel almost fell out of her jaws.

And finally, she spotted the shapes moving swiftly through the grass and bounding out from the forest. She spotted many colors of pelts. Grey, brown, ginger, white, golden… Some stalked prey, hiding themselves behind grass and leaves. Some chased one another playfully. Others trained, some talked, and some simply relaxed in the cool breeze.

She didn't even realize Dusk's Light had halted in front of her, and she didn't notice a pair of amber-orange eyes watching her from afar.

Dawnpaw looked up. An aged red-brown tomcat was sitting on a tall boulder, his tail curled neatly around his paws. His pale yellow eyes narrowed and watched intently as Dusk's Light led her to stand in front of him. Dawnpaw felt like shrinking back under his gaze.

"Greetings, Jagged Peak," Dusk's Light dipped her head. The reddish brown tom gave a polite nod back, but his attention was obviously not on her, but the smaller she-cat standing behind her.

Dusk's Light seemed to notice, and her dark green eyes widened a bit.

"Oh, yes. This is Dawnpaw," she introduced, and beckoned Dawnpaw to step forward. Though no cats were crowding around, Dawnpaw could've sworn she felt many pairs of eyes on her. Maybe they were just hiding, concealing themselves.

"She is the… the…" Dusk's Light tried to search for the right word. "…Outsider."

Jagged Peak leaped down from the boulder and mused with a quick humming sound of understanding. His eyes were still hard and his tone wasn't very welcoming. Dawnpaw shuffled her paws a bit nervously.

"May I speak to her alone, Dusk's Light?" Jagged Peak meowed, hinting to the dark grey tabby. Dusk's Light nodded and murmured something before stepping back.

Jagged Peak flicked his tail and Dawnpaw followed him to where he was going. With each step, she felt her hesitation increase, but she followed through.

Suddenly, the large tom in front of her halted and turned to face her, yellow eyes narrowed and harsh. Dawnpaw's ear twitched and she looked down.

"So, _Dawnpaw_," Jagged Peak began, emphasizing her name. The young she-cat glanced up. The old tomcat didn't waste any time and got straight to the point, his voice containing a faint, almost undetectable growl. "Why are you here?"

"I-I didn't want to come here. I mean, no, this place is amazing, it's just that I stumbled here by a-accident, and I didn't know…" Dawnpaw stuttered, trying to get her sentence right. _How do I explain it?_

Jagged Peak considered what she said for a few moments, then narrowed his eyes and whispered in his raspy voice, "How did you get here, then?"

"I fell into a tunnel while hunting," Dawnpaw admitted, sweeping her tail back and forth on the ground. "I tried to get back to my clan, but I only ended up getting more lost. I kept following the tunnel to see where it would lead, and then I got here." She suddenly remembered the incident. "Seeing I came here by mistake, I wanted to retrace my steps, but somehow, the tunnel entrance disappeared after I arrived here." She looked up at the red-brown tom, hoping to get an explanation from him, but he stayed quiet.

"I see…" the tom mused in his deep voice, but it was obvious to Dawnpaw that there were a million more questions and statements he wanted to fire at her.

The tom sighed and shook in his head in frustration, muttering under his breath, "Ah, the gates. They just open and close on their timing. Quite irritating, actually."

"W-what gates?" Dawnpaw questioned hesitantly, but when Jagged Peak shot her an intense stare, she cleared her throat and fell silent.

"So you came from the outside world?" Jagged Peak asked, walking back to where Dusk's Light waited. Dawnpaw decided to pad after.

"Yes, I-I guess," Dawnpaw answered. _The outside world? Then what world is this?_

Now it was the old tom's turn to fall silent. He considered a few options in his mind. There was no way the apprentice would be able to get back to her clan, to her world, in at least a few moons. He knew. He growled to himself. Having an outsider in their lands wouldn't have a positive impact. For generations, they stayed to themselves and didn't bother, didn't care, about the outside. As much as he wanted to send her home right away, he knew it wasn't possible right now.

"Sorry to inform you, but you'll be… trapped here… for some time," Jagged Peak eyed Dawnpaw, telling her solemnly. Dawnpaw's eyes widened and a small flicker of hope building in her chest started dimming quickly.

_That was what Night Fall said_, she remembered.

"Trust me, I want you to be back home quickly as much as you do," the tom sighed. "But for right now, the only choice you have is to get used to this place and stay here for a while."

Dawnpaw tried not to let the tears that pricked her eyes fall. _Maybe I'll get used to this place. Maybe I'll like the cats that live here. _But she knew her thoughts were just a way to try and comfort herself.

"Dusk's Light!" Jagged Peak called. The dark tabby she-cat's soft steps could vaguely be heard as she trotted over immediately. "I want you to show this Dawnpaw around. For now, she'll be staying for a while. Let her meet the others and teach her what you need do. I'm leaving it up to you."

Dusk's Light seemed somewhat surprised at first, but she hid it quickly and nodded to her leader and beckoned Dawnpaw to follow as she slowly padded away. "Come on, Dawnpaw."

The apprentice's head was spinning with a thousand, maybe even a million, questions. But above all the emotions, there was a feeling of nervousness and fear. She didn't know how it would turn out.

"He isn't the most welcoming at times," Dusk's Light suddenly said. Dawnpaw's ears pricked up and after a few seconds, she realized who the older tabby was talking about. "Jagged Peak, I mean."

"O-oh," Dawnpaw managed, knowing who she was referring to now. "I guess, maybe, a bit."

Dusk's Light just let out a faint chuckle. "You can admit it if you think it." She sighed and padded on. "You know, you will be staying here for a while, so you better start feeling more at home."

"I'll try," Dawnpaw replied. _But this will never compare to everything I know back at OakClan._

A thought suddenly came to her.

"Dusk's Light, c-can I ask a question?" Dawnpaw said, somewhat hesitant at questions because of Jagged Peak's attitude toward her asking.

"Of course," the dark grey tabby replied smoothly. "I am your guide for a little while, after all, so ask anything you'd like."

"Okay, well…" Dawnpaw flattened her ears, trying to think how to phrase what she was going to say. She took a deep breath.

"Do you know a cat named Night Fall?" the young she-cat asked quickly.

She thought she saw Dusk's Light's eyes widen a bit, but maybe it was only her imagination.

"Him? Oh, he… he doesn't really talk and he's more of an outcast here," Dusk's Light answered a bit hurriedly.

Dawnpaw opened her mouth to retort, but ended up falling silent in thought. When some other cats came into view among the lush green and bright golden grass, she could only quietly follow her guide, simply focusing on putting one paw in front of the other.

But the name Night Fall never left her mind.

* * *

**The next chapter will probably take a bit longer to update, but I'll try my best. Again, please review! Pwetty pwease? :) Let's get to 100 before the next chapter!**

**By the way, if you haven't noticed, the chapter title can maybe apply to more than just one character. **

**_Fact #10: I'm a pluviophile._**


	12. Chapter 10: Disappear

**Chapter 10: Disappear**

The grey sky darkened and shifted to an inky, unclear black, as if the heavens weren't pleased and the stars didn't want to show themselves. Not yet.

A few faint and tiny specks twinkled dimly, but most of the dark navy sea overhead was only a vast and plain, vacant splash of dull color.

A lithe silhouetted figure moved swiftly through the bushes, eyes glowing in the darkness. Halting, perking its ears and whipping its head around occasionally, the small cat continued trotting through the leaves. However, the search was to no avail.

More cats followed closely, about three or four on the first one's trail. They sniffed along the ground and tasting the air, ears pricked for any signs of their missing clanmate, but it was no use.

A dark tabby tomcat's lime eyes narrowed and swept through the night air. He let out a faint growl of frustration and concern.

"Where is Dawnpaw?"

The one in the lead, a ginger apprentice she-cat, turned to face the deputy with her eyes cast down at the ground, tail tapping feebly on the cold earth.

"I-I don't know."

"You've searched everywhere, Firepaw?" Snowflower padded out from the small group of cats and asked her apprentice. The other cats stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

At last Firepaw gave a weak sigh and shook her head slightly. "I have. I really don't know where Dawnpaw is."

"She can't have gone too far," Buzzardstrike, the deputy, declared firmly, his bright green eyes confident but hiding some traces of worry. "Split up and search the area again. I am sure she has to be near."

The others nodded and bounded off in their separate ways, their outlines silver in a dim moonlight that washed down from the night sky.

Firepaw, accompanied by her mentor, padded sadly through the trees, praying to StarClan that her friend would be found.

_I won't give up, _she promised._ She has to be here. _

Buzzardstrike went his own way as well, tasting the air for the young she-cat's familiar scent. He grasped for a spark of hope, wishing and hoping that he would be able to face Breezestar, telling him that they had indeed found Dawnpaw and that she was safe.

He sighed to himself and walked into the bare, shadowed forest while a chilling wind ruffled his tabby fur. His voice was drowned out by the distant howls.

"It was like she just… disappeared."

* * *

"You can sleep in one of the dens, Dawnpaw," Dusk's Light informed the young ginger and white cat, gesturing with her dark tabby tail at some sturdy dens hidden among boulders and branches, entrance half-covered with leaves.

Dawnpaw drearily lifted her head and glanced over at the dens. Her mouth became a tight, straight line and she stepped closer to the older she-cat hesitantly.

"A-are you sure I can?" Dawnpaw asked her guide hesitantly. "I mean, aren't the others also going to be sleeping there? You know most of them don't like… outsiders."

Dusk's Light had taken her on a stroll through the main places that the cats usually went to, but it was still only a tiny percentage, barely a grain of sand on a large beach, compared to the entire land. There were still towering mountains that blocked their path and thick, roaring rivers that were difficult to get over, and dense, dark forests that one would get lost in if not familiar with. Therefore, they had stopped and walked back at those times.

Dawnpaw also got to see some of the cats that called this place their home. Sadly, she had also found out many of them were quite wary or aggressive toward cats like her. What they meant by "outsider", she still wasn't very sure, despite what Dusk's Light tried to explain to her. But apparently many of the cats here disliked outsiders, cats of Dawnpaw's kind.

_Outsider? _the young she-cat had wondered quizzically._ Outside of what, though? _

She still was confused and had ten thousand questions she could ask, but most were lost in the breeze or the night air now.

Dusk's Light's voice snapped her back to reality.

Dawnpaw cleared her throat and looked up at the grey tabby. "What did you say, Dusk's Light? Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Dusk's Light sighed and repeated, "I said that it'll be fine. You don't need to worry. You might get a few hostile stares at first but later on, I'm sure they'll get used to you. Besides, I'll still be with you."

_And that's supposed to make it better?_ Dawnpaw thought. She hung on what the older cat told her. _Later on… Will I still be here later on, though?_

Dusk's Light padded in one of the dens, brushing back some dangling leaves and brambles as she carefully stepped into one of the dens. Nervously, Dawnpaw followed after her closely, her steps small and timid.

The den was quite dark with the already dim surroundings outside, but as Dawnpaw peered into the inside of the den, she realized it was quite roomy, much bigger than it had looked outside. The entrance was narrow and she thought the inside wouldn't be very spacious, but she had been wrong. With the large area of space, she also saw some eyes that opened, gleaming in the darkness, staring straight at her and Dusk's Light, but as she guessed, mostly her.

Dawnpaw stepped closer to Dusk's Light and gulped, making her steps as soft and silent as she could. The gleaming eyes narrowed, some closed again, but others only got increasingly intimidating.

"Who's your friend, Dusk?" a large dark golden tom shifted in his nest and mewed threateningly.

"This is Dawnpaw," Dusk's Light introduced simply, her gaze equally confident as the large tabby tom's. "Dawnpaw, that's Lion's Roar."

"H-hello," Dawnpaw greeted in a whisper as she stepped forward. Lion's Roar stared at her for a few seconds more with narrowed bright green eyes, then gave a mutter of something and closed his eyes again. Many of the others did the same, yet some still watched intently as Dusk's Light led Dawnpaw to the back of the den.

A familiar black she-cat with grey spots laid in the back corner. As she sensed the two cats nearing, her blue eyes narrowed and she flicked an ear.

"Hello, Star's Shadow," Dusk's Light greeted and laid down beside her. The grey and black cat gave a grumbled "hey" and turned her attention toward Dawnpaw, who was still standing, once again.

"Oh, right," the grey and black she-cat meowed in between yawns, remembering. "You're that outsider, Dogpaw, right?"

"Um, it's actually Dawnpaw," the younger cat shuffled her paws and corrected nervously.

Star's Shadow slitted her eyes at the apprentice and gave a flick of her black tail.

"Whatever you say," she muttered and yawned again, then put her chin on her paws and drifted off to sleep.

Dawnpaw glanced nervously down at Dusk's Light.

"Can I sleep by the den entrance?" Dawnpaw asked, her green eyes cast down at the ground.

The older tabby cat looked up at the ginger and white apprentice and flattened her ears, a bit confused. She scoffed lightly.

"What, do you wanna escape after we all fall asleep?" Dusk's Light joked in a low whisper.

"N-no, of course not!" Dawnpaw defended a bit loudly. "I just… I feel safer if I can sense what's outside, I guess. I'm used to sleeping under the starlight where I can see the sky and trees around me."

Dusk's Light gave a small sigh and nodded tiredly. "Alright, I guess. But I'll still be keeping an eye on you."

Dawnpaw nodded and smiled slightly, stepping carefully over the sleeping cats and settled down right behind the den entrance. She looked up to the night sky, the beautiful, glimmering sea of stars reflected in her leafy green eyes. She sighed contentedly and forgot about her home, everything else, for one heartbeat. It looked beautiful.

_Much more beautiful than the stars I had seen back at camp. There's something… different_, she realized with surprise. _I wonder why._

The young cat glanced back at Dusk's Light and held back a small chuckle when she realized the older she-cat had already fallen asleep within moments, despite saying she would be keeping an eye on her. She laid her chin on her paws and looked to the sky again, feeling her stomach growl.

_That's right. I buried that prey from earlier somewhere around here. Maybe I'll find it and eat it tomorrow,_ Dawnpaw thought as her eyelids fluttered close and dreams overtook her.

She didn't get to see a dark shape flash by the den entrance silently and drop a squirrel gently down beside her paws.

* * *

**Await the next chapter, and in the meantime, please review! :) Thanks for all the current reviews. Never thought I'd get to over 100 by only 11 chapters! You're all awesome! :D**

**_Fact #11: I named my two parrots after a pet coconut I had when I was a kid. (Messed up, huh?)_**


End file.
